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Objective
The Resume
Resume writing process
Begin by determining your objective (do this prior to writing the resume). You
should clearly state what sort of a job you want, and know what kinds of skills
and experiences are needed to do well in that job.
Parts of the resume
1. Personal information: name, address, phone number, email, cell
2. Career Objective: SHORT (25 words or less) statement including your goal in
a particular field or your goal to obtain a particular position title.
The single and most important goal of a resume is to obtain an
interview. It's a marketing tool to get you in the company and in front
of your potential boss – that’s it. Once in, you will need to do the sales
pitch, and close the deal.
3. Education: List all secondary and post-secondary schools you have attended,
giving the most recent first. Include major areas of study, GPA , awards and
degrees
4. Experience: List all paid jobs and unpaid that you have held. Include all that
you have done.
5. Additional Qualifications: Additional skills and abilities that you would want to
highlight like speak a second language.
6. References: References are people who have known you for at least one year,
and who can provide information about your CHARACTER and achievements.
The best type of references include teachers, school counselors, former
employers, adults in business.
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Letter of reference or
recommendation
1. Strive to be clear and concise
A letter of reference is a statement in letter form, written by someone who can be
relied upon to give a sincere report on your character, abilities and experience.
When you ask someone to write a letter of recommendation for you, make sure
you give them enough time to compose the letter.
Use action words words like prepared,
managed, developed,
monitored, and
presented will cause
your resume to stand
out.
2. In the body of your resume, use bullet points with
short sentences rather than lengthy paragraphs.
3. Resumes are read quickly (usually 10-30 seconds).
Therefore, having key phrases standing alone and
bulleted will help the reader see the important
information at a glance - while at the same time
absorbing the most important information. .
You should always use
%'s, $'s and #'s.
Percentages, dollar totals,
and numbers stand out in
the body of a resume
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Highlight your strengths
Put the strong and most relevant
points first where they are more apt
to be read. Doing this will hook the
reader, and the rest of your resume
will reel them in.
Match the needs of the hiring
company
Review job postings online and in the newspapers for positions
that interest you.
Each listing will almost always have a brief blurb about the
company and the position available.
Read the job description closely, and use the key words listed in
these ads, and match them to the bullet points in your resume.
Chances are that you have some of these as key points already,
however if you have missed any, be sure to add them to your
resume.
Above all in your resume and interview - you must be
positive. Therefore, avoid including negative and irrelevant
points. If you feel your graduation date will subject you to
age discrimination, leave it off your resume. If you do some
duties in your current job that don't support your job search
objective, do not include them. Focus on the duties that do
support your objective, and leave off irrelevant personal
information like your race, weight, and height.
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